Sport Bookmakers Seek Safety in Numbers against Cheating Sport bookies look for security in numbers versus unfaithful 10 November 2010 The current decision by Pakistan's cricket authorities to suspend the central agreements of 3 gamers implies one of the summer season's greatest sport gaming stories refuses to disappear. Batsman Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are under examination for supposed spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England previously this year. They remain provisionally suspended from all cricketing activities by the International Cricket Council. "The accusations around the Pakistan cricket group and their UK visit this summer season have been so incendiary that they still stay in the headings," says Khalid Ali, secretary general of the European Sports Security Association (ESSA). 'Confront obstacles' Brussels-based ESSA was set up by leading online sports book operators in Europe to monitor any irregular betting patterns or possible expert betting from within each sport. It has signed memorandums of understanding with a variety of sports bodies - consisting of FIFA, UEFA, EPFL, the FA, DFB, ATP, ITF and WTA - and has established close relations with the IOC and numerous other sports regulators. "Nobody wishes to wager on contests whose outcomes they feel are rigged," states Mr Ali, discussing sports betting. "The licensed wagering industry is identified to confront the challenges head-on." It was a scandal five years ago which resulted in the production of this bookmakers' intelligence operation, one designed to keep an eye on and dispatch suspicious betting patterns. The body came about in 2005 following a scandal in Germany which saw a referee repairing video games - the well-known Hoyzer case.